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Afloating market is amarket where goods are sold from boats. Originating in times and places where water transport played an important role in daily life, most floating markets operating today mainly serve as tourist attractions, and are chiefly found inMyanmar,Thailand,Indonesia,Vietnam,Sri Lanka,Bangladesh, andIndia.
The 200-year-old floating market at Kuriana inSwarupkati has become a tourist spot. Guava floating market is a unique market. Hundreds of tourists from home and abroad visit the place every day to enjoy the beauty of the market and its surrounding landscape.
In Thailand, floating markets (Thai:ตลาดน้ำtalāt nāmlit. transl. water market) are well supported locally and mainly serve astourist attractions.[1] One of their purposes is to allowdomestic visitors andinternational tourists to be able to experience the culture of riverside shopping.
Historically,[2] the areas adjacent to the rivers were the first to be populated. Thus, most communities in Thailand were built at the sides of rivers. The waterways served as means of transportation and the center of economic activity, as well. Boats were mainly used for local and regional trade, bringing goods from those that produced to those that couldbarter andtrade. Such ways of life of the riverside communities, especially in theChao Phraya River Basin, increased the number of floating markets.
Floating markets became the hubs of the communities in the central plain of Thailand for centuries.[3] In theAyutthaya Period (1350–1767), due to the existence of several adjoining canals that were suitable for trading, they helped to gain popularity for this type of market.
Early in theRattanakosin Period (1782–1868), this kind of market was still lively with the crowds. Nonetheless, soon after the region grew andBangkok began to develop, road and rail networks were increasingly constructed in place of the canals. This resulted in people choosing to travel by land instead of by water. Therefore, some of the floating markets were forced to move onto land, some were renovated, and some were closed down.
Originally, the term meaning floating market in Thai, used to be called (Thai:ตลาดท้องน้ำtāː.làt tʰɔ̂ːŋ nâːmlit. transl. floor of the water market). Until in the reign of KingVajiravudh (Rama VI), therefore saying onlytalat nam.[4]
Amphawa floating market is not as large as Damnoen Saduak floating market[5] but it is more authentic, with visitors almost exclusively Thais. It is an evening floating market but some stalls are opened at noon too. The market operates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1600 to around 2100 hrs. It is inAmphawa District,Samut Songkhram Province (72 km fromBangkok). Moreover, due to its popularity, the food stalls have grown from the riverbanks and stretched far into the surrounding buildings. Another popular activity in Amphawa District is to take a boat and watch the flickering fireflies at night, especially in the waxing-moon nights.
Damnoen Saduak floating market inDamnoen Saduak District is undoubtedly the largest and most well-known floating market among Thai and foreign tourists. It is located inRatchaburi Province, about 100 km southwest of Bangkok. The market is open every day from around 0630 to 1100 hr, but the best time to visit is in the early morning. The market is crowded with hundreds of vendors and purchasers floating in their small boats selling and buying agricultural products and local food, which are mostly brought from their own nearby orchards. It is a very attractive place for tourists to see the old style and traditional way of selling and buying goods.
Don Wai floating market is not far from Bangkok, inSam Phran District,Nakhon Pathom Province on theTha Chin River. This market is famous for a variety of foods such as stewedJava barb in salty soup especiallyChinese stewed duck. Moreover, it is not far from one of the most prominent temples ofNakhon Pathom,Wat Rai Khing, which can be reached by boat on theTha Chin River.[6]
Khlong Hae floating market is the first and only floating market inSouthern Thailand presently. Located inHat Yai District,Songkhla Province, it is unique in that it blends between Buddhist Thai and Muslim cultures.[7]
Kwan Riam floating market is inMin Buri District, Bangkok, nearKhlong Saen Saep; its name comes from the name of characters in a popular Thai romance-drama novel titledPlae Kao, as Khlong Saen Saep was used as the backdrop of this novel.
Taling Chan floating market, also in Bangkok is located nearKhlong Chak Phra in front of Taling Chan District Office adjacent to theSouthern Railway Line. The market is open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. Visitors can also take a boat from here to other attractions in this area, such as other floating markets or pay homage to Luang Pho Dam, an ancient sacred Buddha image at a nearby Wat Chang Lek temple. The market is also one of six no-smoking areas in Bangkok's project in 2019.[8][9]
Si Pak Floating market orPattaya Floating market. Another charm ofPattaya is the 4-region floating market, cultural and tourist attractions. It is the center of a variety of activities regarding Conservation of art and culture. 4 regions floating market had Collect all 4 good products here blended perfectly. The source of local handicrafts and cultural tourist attractions combined into one place, considered a new shopping area with unique selling points.[10][11]
The floating markets inIndonesia are a collection of vendors selling various produce and product on boats. Floating markets initially are not created as tourist attractions, but as necessities in Indonesian cities that have large river especially in several cities and towns inKalimantan andSumatra. However, they have been promoted in the tourism itinerary, especially in Kalimantan cities. For example, the Siring floating market inBanjarmasin, andLok Baintan floating market inMartapura are both located inSouth Kalimantan.
A floating market exists inSrinagar inJammu and Kashmir on theDal Lake that operates daily, with vendors selling produce grown on the banks of the lake.[12]
A floating 'mall' operates in theKerala backwaters, offering subsidised rates on sales. Named Floating Triveni Super Store, it was launched in 2012 by theKerala State Co-operative Consumers Federation.[13]
A floating market was opened inPatuli,Kolkata, on a canal adjacent to theEastern Metropolitan Bypass in January 2018. It features more than 200 vendors and 100 boats selling fish, fruit and vegetables.[14] However, the market is struggling to stay open with declining sales.[15] The lighting used by the municipal authorities and shopkeepers is reported to have driven away migratory birds from the region.[16]
Floating markets (chợ nổi inVietnamese) have existed in Vietnam for many generations. Archaeologists have found evidence that extensive trading networks likely existed in Vietnam's river deltas from as far back as 4,500 years ago.[17][18]
With a rich system of rivers, Mekong Delta is the place where many weekly floating markets take place. This is an opportunity for small traders to exchange goods, and tourists can experience with the locals. Some of the famous floating markets in this area are Cai Rang Market, Long Xuyen Market, Cai Be Market, etc.
Ideally, the floating market's produce and fruit are normally grown from nearby gardens or local orchards.[19] Such produce comprises assorted tropical fruits[20] and vegetables, such asGuava,banana,jackfruit,rambutan,mango,pineapple,dragon fruit,carambola, freshcoconut, anddurian.
Local dishes are cooked and prepared by the vendors from their floating kitchens located on their boats. They offer various kinds of food ranging from traditional Thai meat to vegetarian dishes such aspapaya salad (som tum).Boat noodles and traditional Thai dessert (khanom wan Thai) such asmango sticky rice and coconut rice dumplings (khanom krok) are also available for tasting.
Hundreds of locally produced goods are available for purchase; bargaining is common. Examples of these types of merchandise include:
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